As of March 1, citizens of China and Thailand have been able to travel to each other’s countries without visas for stays of up to 30 days.
Following the new visa policy, travel bookings from China to Thailand have increased, VisaGuide.World reports.
Statistics from Trip.com showed that travel reservations from China to Thailand increased 300 percent on March 1, compared to the same day last year, as reported by Yicai Global.
Meanwhile, flight bookings from Thailand to China for the middle of this month increased 80 percent from a year ago and 70 percent from 2019, the pre-pandemic year, according to Ly.com.
Data from Qunar.com shows that searches for flights to Bangkok increased by 70 percent this week compared to the previous one.
In September of last year, Thailand launched a temporary visa-free entry for citizens of China and Kazakhstan. The policy, set to expire in February 2024, was introduced to boost the country’s tourism.
Two days after this temporary measure took effect, reportedly 22,000 Chinese nationals visited Thailand. Following the interest of tourists, both countries decided to announce a mutual visa agreement, thus dropping permanent visa requirements for each other’s citizens.
China & Thailand Aim to Attract More Tourists This Year
In addition to each other’s citizens, both China and Thailand have recently lifted and eased visa rules for several countries worldwide. Among other things, such measures were introduced in a bid to boost tourism in these countries.
Recently, the Chinese government removed visa restrictions for Georgian nationals, allowing them to visit China and stay up to 30 days for tourism purposes. Furthermore, a similar policy was introduced between China and Singapore in February 2024.
Despite visa waivers, China has recently eased visa applications for American visitors while it is planning to remove restrictions for Swiss and Irish citizens, among other things.
Meanwhile, in November 2023, Thailand granted visa-free entry to Indian nationals for stays up to 30 days. In addition, the Thai government plans to prolong visa waivers for additional countries and introduce a mutual visa exemption with Australia.
Where Can Chinese & Thai Nationals Travel Visa-Free?
At present, Chinese passport holders can travel without visas to 48 countries, according to the VisaGuide.World Passport Index. On the other hand, they are required to have a traditional visa to enter 118 other countries worldwide.
Meanwhile, citizens of Thailand are able to travel visa-free to 43 countries and are required to obtain a visa for traveling to 118 other countries.
